Rammstein
Sehnsucht

THE REVIEW

After the excellent debut Herzeleid, in 1997 Rammstein returned with Sehnsucht, which made them known outside of Germany. But let's move on to the album analysis: it starts with the title track, Sehnsucht (longing, desire), a great track that will often be played live. A whistled melody introduces the album's first single, Engel (angel), characterized by the white voice of a certain Bobo and the whistled refrain. In Tier (beast), both the lyrics and the music become brutal (a father raping his daughter), while in Bestrafe Mich (punish me), a very dark song, it talks about sado-masochistic relationships.
Here is the cornerstone of the album, Du Hast (you have/hate), inevitably performed live and also featured in the Matrix soundtrack. This song drew media attention to the band, which was accused of inspiring the Columbine killers. Then comes Buck Dich (bend down), a very heavy track with explicit sexual references in the lyrics, followed by the unsettling Spiel Mit Mir (play with me). In the very engaging ballad Klavier, we find an excellent vocal performance by Till Lindemann, truly inspired. Also of good quality are Der Alte Mann (the old man), Eifersucht (jealousy), and Kuss Mich [Fellfrosch] (kiss me [furry frog]), which concludes a truly excellent album.

An album that could make many metal defenders wrinkle their noses because it's too little heavy, without solos or individual prowess, with the members working as a single entity, and many other non-metal fans might consider it too heavy. It is not an album classifiable in a precise genre, which is why it might attract listeners with diverse musical tastes. Exceptional.